The DC Comics Guide to Digitally Drawing Comics by Ii Williams Freddie E

Author:Ii Williams, Freddie E [Ii Williams, Freddie E]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780823008322
Publisher: Crown Publishing Group
Published: 2013-07-09T00:00:00+00:00

(Above Left) JavaScript looks like ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics to me!

(Above Right) Once a JavaScript is written, though, it’s as easy to use as an action.

This artwork is from the cover of Robin #173.

The digital workflow really shines when you’re roughing out page layouts. It’s invaluable to be able to try new ideas for layouts and poses without erasing previous ideas, just by turning layers on and off. Flipping and resizing layouts is a cinch, and any unused poses can be easily saved for later use on another page.

When starting a new comic book issue, I name the main folder for the project with the comic book’s title and the issue number, but I always make the same basic set of subfolders to store the files for that project. Those subfolders are named and numbered so that they appear in the workflow order in which I’ll create the art. The purpose of each folder inside the main folder is fairly self-explanatory, but we’ll be covering each in more detail as we go along.

The All-Digital and Ink Hybrid workflows contain the same folders. In the Pencil Hybrid workflow, however, the folder structure looks a little different, with Wireframe being replaced by Breakdowns and the Pencils folder added. The last of the folders in the Pencil Hybrid workflow needs a little explanation: Typically, this folder stores colored proof pages from a colorist or editor, but if you happen to color your own work, the 6Inks folder is a good place to store it, as well.

On any project I work on, I start by reading the script my editor sends me. After giving it a read-through, I make a list of references I’ll need to see in order to illustrate the pages, and I send that list to my editor. One of the many jobs of a comic book editor is to provide reference images to artists when they ask questions like, “For the flashback scene, what should Robin’s original costume look like?” When my editor sends me the references, I keep those files stored in the 2Reference folder, which contains only the references for the issue I’m working on. (This folder is not to be confused with the Master Reference folder that holds all your general references and time-saving templates.)

When I’m ready to start my roughs, I copy and paste my Master Page Template into my 2Roughs folder. I then rename the copied template files using this naming convention: Book_Issue#_Rough_Pg##.psd (for instance, a file might be called, “Flash_240_Rough_Pg01.psd”. I do this for every page I’m drawing, usually twenty-two pages per issue.

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